Health inspection records show a Corpus Christi movie theater has maintained an "excellent" rating for two years despite having been cited in the past for evidence of pests.

However, the news for AMC Corpus Christi 16 wasn't as encouraging Monday, when inspectors found 21 dead rats and mice in traps, said Isidoro Prado, public health administrator.

Last week, a video of mice in a movie theater circulated on social media after Heather Ruth Fling-Green posted the clip on Facebook.

In the video, which was shared more than 1,000 times, mice could be seen moving under a ripped, black leather theater seat. Fling-Green said her daughter and her boyfriend saw "Peppermint" at the theater Sept. 20. The boyfriend shot a video that Fling-Green asserts was recorded in the theater.

A screenshot shows a rat caught on video at AMC Corpus Christi 16 on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. The video, posted by Facebook user Heather Ruth Fling-Green, has been shared more than a thousands times.(Photo: Screenshot)

Corrective action for the violation — which included droppings in the building — involved calling a pest control company to treat the area. A follow-up inspection was scheduled for the following week.

When asked about Fling-Green's video, a manager at AMC Corpus Christi — who declined to provide his name — referred questions to AMC's corporate media hotline. As of Monday afternoon, no one with the company had responded to requests for a statement from the Caller-Times. Emails sent to the corporate office also were not returned.

About 10 seconds into the blurry video, it appears two rodents move under a theater seat. Around the 45-second mark, a gray mouse can clearly be seen under the seat. It stays under the seat before running out of frame.

A reason for the recent mice appearance may be recent flooding in the field behind the theater, Prado said.

Since then, the department has worked with AMC and a pest control company to set traps, he said.

“We’ve been working with the theater and the corporate office to eradicate the rats and mice reported,” Prado said. “We’ve been checking on a weekly basis twice a week and now three times a week.”

Prado said the rodents may have entered the theater through holes in the bottom of the building. The holes have since been patched, he said.

"Today's was the biggest catch of all," Prado said. "We should see these numbers slowly diminish."

There was at least one rodent found in 12 different auditoriums, he said.

Previous inspections revealed rodent droppings in about seven auditoriums. Prado does not believe other businesses in the area have been affected.

"The ultimate goal is to trap them out as quickly as possible," he said.

AMC emailed a statement to the Caller-Times Monday evening.

"We are taking this situation seriously and have implemented significant treatment and prevention measures at the theatre. We will continue to address any problems until all issues are resolved," the statement reads.

AMC also disputed the health department's statement that rats were found in the theater, saying only "field mice" were found inside.

Other violations on the June 25 report were minor and included cleaning an ice machine, cleaning the condiment counter and refilling a soap dispenser in a women's restroom, the report states.

Cine 4 on S. Staples Street in Corpus Christi was originally opend as Deux Cine in 1968. In 1973 the theater expanded and became Cine 4, then expanded again in 1977 and became Cine 6. Caller-Times file